Balikbayans in Manila

Remember Alex Felipe and Vince Galvez? It’s only been a few weeks since we said goodbye to them and they’ve been very busy in Manila. They are currently guests of Carlos Celdran (the famous tour guide and artist) and this weekend they were part of a special celebration marking the 65th anniversary of the Battle of Manila. Carlos Celdran got things started with a special fundraising tour, which was later followed by a series of readings, art installations, and live music at Fort Santiago. Alex and Vince also premiered their video piece at Fort Santiago, which was specifically created for the occasion.

A brief description of their video in their own words:

“Our work combines video, photography, and music. In it we ask Filipino-Canadians:

– to write on a white board something that they are either proud of or ashamed of about being Filipino or the culture

– whether they feel a connection to the Philippines and why;

– and as the festival is about WWII, whether they had any family stories from the war they could share.

It should be an interesting show, wish you guys in Canada were here to watch the premiere with us!”

Aw…we wish we could be there too!

If you’d like to stay up to date on the latest from Alex and Vince, visit them at: